Brazil

Yes we have infrastructure, qualified people, a large consumer market and investment in innovation and technology. Leader of the BRIC group, which also encompasses Russia, India and China, Brazil goes far beyond the sun and samba that fascinate tourists. From 2002 to 2009, the Brazilian real “GDP” (PIB: Produto interno bruto) in U.S. dollars, doubled, making the country rank among the 10 largest economies in the world - the highest among Latin American nations. The country has the Investment Grade and is ranked by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a High Human Development Index (HDI).

Among the Brazilian population from seven to 14 years, 27 million are in school. The high school has 9.4 million students and the professional education - which includes, in addition to technical education, technology graduations and professional training - has six million people. There are 1.714 courses related to the area of Information Technology, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2007. All of this to supply the dynamic IT market.

In an environment marked by the plurality of foreign investments and a variety of ethnicities, Brazil is open to new cultures. Brazilians respect differences, easily incorporate new habits and methods. English is a compulsory foreign language curriculum in the elementary and high school and, among the largest developing economies, Brazil stands out as the second place in English speakers, with 10.2 million people.

There are 117 postgraduate courses evaluated with the maximum grade in Brazil and similar to international standards. Not to mention, the business school aimed at teaching executives. Like Fundação Dom Cabral, that from 2009 to 2011 growth from 16th to fifth place among the top 50 business schools in the world, according to the Financial Times ranking.

The communication of the three levels of the Brazilian government - federal, state and local - is being increasingly mediated by the internet. The internet publication of revenue and expenditures of government agencies is mandatory and the Electronic Procurement System of the Brazilian Federal Government (ComprasNet) is considered by the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) reference when purchasing goods and contracting services for public administration.

The Brazilian elections are another success story internationally recognized. The electronic voting machines in Brazil have been developed as a international version and is exported to different countries. Here, the electoral process is 100% computerized in over 5500 cities and 370,000 polling stations, benefiting more than 110 million voters.

Brazil has 30 technology parks, among units in operation and in the final stages of implementation. These parks are formed mainly by universities and research institutes, consultancies and services, with projects not only highlights the oil and gas sector but also in the IT market. Intel, for example, has agreements with the Association for the Promotion of Excellence in Brazilian Software (Softex) that aims to empower Brazilian software companies in high technology, trying to make them more competitive in the global market.

Quality fiber optics connects all major Brazilian cities with each other and hubs outside the country. The entire network is digital. Between 2005 and 2010, Internet access has doubled and the broadband industry is expanding fast. Data from the British research institute Point Topic shows that Brazil appears in ninth position in the absolute number of broadband connections in the world. The country has more than 65 million Internet users – from those, 35 million have Internet access at home - and Brazil is among those who use the Internet more intensively, with more than 30 hours per month.

In Brazil, there are more cellphones than people - 217.3 million of devices for a population of just over 190 million. And the Brazilian mobile phone users are more likely to pay for innovations in technology and services. They spend 5.7% of income on the phone, five times the expense of the Europeans. Also, they use different applications: voice, text and instant messaging to keep in touch with others, making the phone a social tool.

Brazil is the number one in the use of social networks in the world. About 60% of users accessing networks for three years or more, 37% access networks more than once a day and a third is connected to the networks at least one hour per day, according to the institute Ibope Media research. Each participant has on average 273 friends - and that, in the state, 13% have over 700 friends in networks. The lower middle class have equal access to networks of the wealthier classes. And, of total Internet users who do not access the network, 34% intend to do so.

It is estimated that, in Brazil, there are more than 20 million Facebook users and 30 million of Orkut users. According to the site Inside Facebook, Brazil is the second country with the largest growth on Facebook. In the case of Twitter, 18% of people follow companies and products they consume.

Facebook users:

Country

May/2011 (millions)

June/2011 (millions)

percentage growth

Brazil

17,1

19,0

10%

Mexico

23,7

25,6

7,6%

Tailand

9,1

9,8

7,1%

India

24,9

26,6

6,7%

Colombia

13,4

14,3

6,4%

Argentina

14,2

15,1

6,1%

Philippines

23,2

24,5

5,4%

Indonesia

36,4

37,9

4%

France

21,9

22,5

2,5%

Turkey

28,2

28,9

2,4%

Inside Facebook

Google also has a large audience in Brazil. In 2010, Google's Brazilian operations was up 80% on the income from the previous year, against an average of 24% in the world. In March 2011, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that Brazil was becoming the sixth market for the company. Three months later, the country surpassed Canada and took over.

With about 192 million people, Brazil has an expanding domestic market. Household consumption has grown strongly in recent years, reaching $ 236 billion in 2009. In the last decade, 10 million Brazilians have left to live in slums.

With a better distribution of income and increased consumption, the Internet access growth as well. The movement of the Internet in Brazil still means only 1% of the world - but with the digital inclusion of the lower, driven by public policies such as the National Broadband Plan, expands at a rate that is twice the global average

National Broadband Reach:

Reach and access

2014

wireless access (urban and rural)

Broadband access to 100% of government agencies, including: • 100% of the units of the federal government, states and locals, • 100% of health facilities (177,000) • 100% of public libraries (over 10,000), • 100% of public safety agencies (over 14,000). 100 000 new telecentres by 2014 federal

mobile

60 million mobile broadband access, including voice and data terminals (with an active data service) and data modems only

More people on the internet is more people consuming in the internet. Data compiled by e-bit, which specializes in information industry, show that 61% of new entrants in e-commerce in the first half of 2011 come from lower middle class in Brazil.

Brazil is Investment Grade. And it is not from today. The positive fundamentals of the Brazilian economy were recognized by two major credit rating agencies in the world - Standard & Poor's and Fitch - which, in the first half of 2008, gave Brazil the coveted Investment Grade.

With the endorsement of the rating agencies, investors have been making significant contributions. According to the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the volume of foreign direct investment in Brazil grew 86.7% in 2010 compared to 2009 - the largest annual growth between the BRIC group that includes, in addition to Brazil Russia, India and China. With this, the country has jumped from 15th to fifth in the ranking of countries that received foreign investment.

The growth of the consumer market in the country, which should add 50 million people to the lower middle class between 2003 and 2014, was one of the main attractions of investment in Brazil, besides the capital in the exploitation of oil and gas, World Cup 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games. The UNCTAD study also shows that 53% of the multinationals surveyed are optimistic about the investment environment of 2013, compared to 34% on 2011. See also: